Skeet Shooting New Hobby for the President

Last week, when President Barack Obama mentioned he had taken up a new hobby – Camp David skeet shooting – it surprised many, as the president is identified today with guns through his effort in banning high capacity magazines and their assault rifles.

To a great deal of people, Obama’s new hobby of shooting skeets seemed somewhat suspicious. He told the press he took part in the activity all the time at Camp David.

On Saturday, officials at the White House attempted to quiet the skeptics by giving the press a photo of Obama shooting at the Camp David range in August. In the photo, the president is wearing a pair of protective glasses as well as earmuffs. He can be seen squinting down the gun barrel seconds after he pulled the trigger. Smoke can still be seen shooting out of the barrel of the gun.

The Obama administration said the photo of Obama had been taken on his 51st birthday, August 4. However, it did not offer any further details as to whether his target practicing was on a regular basis or if he did it just that one time.

Conservatives were upset, comics laughed at the photo and one congresswoman challenged the president to a contest of skeet shooting. Shortly thereafter, a fake photo of an armed President Obama started circulating on the Web while White House officials attempted to make the entire issue just disappear.

Obama is not the first person in politics to draw scorn for talking about his experience with a firearm. Back in 2007, Governor Mitt Romney received ridicule during his first campaign for the presidency when he made the comment – “I always have been a rabbit and rodent hunter.”